THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE JACL June 1-14, 2018 Special Travel & Food Issue » PAGE 6 PHILADELPHIA: City of Neighborhoods JACL National Convention attendees have endless sights and food choices to discover in » PAGE 4 Juan Pollo’s the ‘City of Brotherly Love.’ Albert Okura Plans to Extend His Chicken Dynasty. » PAGE 8 Mikami Vineyards Does More Than Produce Wine — Benjamin Franklin Parkway PHOTO: B. KRIST/GPTMC It’s Preserving Honor. WWW.PACIFICCITIZEN.ORG #3322 / VOL. 166, No. 10 ISSN: 0030-8579 2 June 1-14, 2018 INTRODUCTION/SCHOLARSHIP SPOTLIGHT HOW TO REACH US HELLO SUMMER: SPECIAL TRAVEL & FOOD ISSUE Email: [email protected] Online: www.pacificcitizen.org emorial Day BBQ’s have come and there’s an excellent profile on the “City of Tel: (213) 620-1767 William Penn Mail: 123 Ellison S. Onizuka St., gone and graduations are nearing Brotherly Love” and its endless food and sight- Suite 313 their end, which means that summer is seeing options — which are sure to make your Los Angeles, CA 90012 Mnow in full swing! It’s time to take that planned trip one filled with memories to last a lifetime. STAFF vacation or even enjoy a staycation, all while Also in this issue, you’ll find theP.C.’s newest Executive Editor enjoying delicious food utilizing some of the editorial addition, the “Scholarship Spotlight,” Allison Haramoto best ingredients grown during this time. which profiles previous national scholarship Senior Editor In this Special Travel & Food Issue, you’ll winners and how JACL has helped shaped their Digital & Social Media George Johnston discover profiles on two family owned future careers. We hope you’ll find inspiration Business Manager businesses that are making inroads beyond from their words of wisdom, proof that JACL is Susan Yokoyama their own communities: Albert Okura of Juan making a positive difference in people’s lives! Production Artist Pollo Chicken and Jason Mikami of Mikami So sit back, relax and we hope you enjoy the Marie Samonte Vineyards. summer. Safe travels and happy eating! Circulation And for JACLers preparing for the 2018 Eva Ting National Convention in Philadelphia this July, — Pacific Citizen Staff The Pacific Citizen newspaper PHOTO: G. WIDMAN/GPTMC (ISSN: 0030-8579) is published semi-monthly (except once in L A R December and January) by the O S H H I Japanese American Citizens C Pacific Citizen P S League, Pacific Citizen, 123 Ellison after I left for college. When I was something self some advice from plished individually, but rather as a S. Onizuka St., Suite 313 S JACL young, I thought I would always where you are now in your life team. I have taken great satisfaction Los Angeles, CA 90012 P T O H be in California. Instead, I have and career, what would it be? in contributing to a large number of Periodical postage paid at L.A., CA T L I G POSTMASTER: Send address divided most of my life between In your 20s, you will hear about team efforts over my career. changes to National JACL, 1765 California and Washington, D.C. crazy ideas to sell books over the Any words of wisdom for Sutter St., San Francisco, CA Many of my career opportunities Internet and create something called this year’s JACL scholarship 94115 had their roots in experiences and a “search engine” that charges users recipients? JACL President: Gary Mayeda relationships formed in college. The absolutely nothing to use — buy Don’t be afraid to try things, Executive Director: David Inoue JACL scholarship helped make that their stock when they go public. especially if it is something of in- P.C. EDITORIAL BOARD possible. Between tuition, room I jest, of course, but make sure you terest to you. My first semester at Gil Asakawa, chairperson; Jody Mitori, MDC; Marcia Chung, Name: MARK T. UYEDA and board and books, college was start investing for retirement — Georgetown, I had the opportu- CCDC; Jim Duff, NCWNPDC; Year of JACL Scholarship expensive (even back then), so re- even if it means keeping your old nity to do an unpaid, noncredited Chip Larouche, PNWDC; Kayla Award: 1988 ceiving a scholarship award from car for a few more years. I did, in internship in downtown D.C. that Watanabe, IDC; John Saito Jr., PSWDC; Juli Yoshinaga, Youth Rep. MITSUYUKI the JACL was greatly appreciated. fact, put money into my 401k and experience ended up being the first YONEMURA MEMORIAL Did you know about JACL before IRA after I started my first real step toward my current career in SUBSCRIBE Get a one-year subscription of the SCHOLARSHIP you won the scholarship? job after law school. The markets public service. Pacific Citizen newspaper at: College/University I knew about the JACL from the have gone up and down in cycles What do you think is the strength www.pacificcitizen.org or call (213) 620-1767 Attended: GEORGETOWN redress effort. I had written a term since then. But now, as I get older, for JACL’s future? UNIVERSITY paper in high school about the leg- I feel a lot better prepared for the The ability to deal with change. ADVERTISE Name of JACL Chapter islation, though the Civil Rights future. Today’s JACL is not the JACL of To advertise in the Pacific Citizen, call (213) 620-1767 or e-mail: That Awarded Scholarship: Act of 1988 would not be signed What is your greatest personal/ my grandparent’s generation nor [email protected] into law until a few months after professional achievement? the JACL of my youth 30 years ago. SELANOCO LEGAL Current Profession: I had graduated. When I arrived Finding a wonderful wife. I have As long as there are people willing No part of this publication may be ATTORNEY, FEDERAL at Georgetown in the fall of 1988, had a number of professional to give back to the community, the reproduced without the express n permission of the Pacific Citizen. GOVERNMENT the Smithsonian American History achievements, but nothing beats JACL will continue. Editorials, letters, news and the Museum had an exhibition called “A having a terrific partner at your side. opinions expressed by columnists QUESTIONS: other than the national JACL More Perfect Union,” parts of which How do you define success? Sponsored by the president or national director do How has receiving a JACL covered the JACL’s efforts during Believing that you have contributed not necessarily reflect JACL policy. JACL Credit Union Events and products advertised in scholarship impacted your life? the internment and afterward. to something greater than yourself. www.jaclcu.com the P.C. do not carry the implicit My life changed significantly If you could give your twenty- Very few things in life are accom- endorsement of the JACL or this publication. We reserve the right to edit articles. © 2018 Periodicals paid at Los Angeles, Calif. and mailing office. JACL MEMBERS Change of Address If you’ve moved, please send new information to: National JACL 1765 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 921-5225 ext. 26 2018 Allow 6 weeks for address changes. To avoid interruptions in delivery, please notify your postmaster to include periodicals in your change of address (USPS Form 3575) COMMENTARY June 1-14, 2018 3 Back in Colorado, NIKKEI VOICE my mom relives her final Japan trip by study- ing the photos TRAVELING TO JAPAN WITH A and notes in her photo album/ LOVED ONE WHO HAS DEMENTIA scrapbook. PHOTOS: GIL ASAKAWA she couldn’t wander around the hotel (or god day of flying. Then there was an By Gil Asakawa forbid, the streets of Tokyo or other cities we hour-plus train ride to Sapporo. We traveled in). So, this was her farewell tour. We almost always stayed at the same hotel y mom has suffered from worsening couched it as a chance to visit her hometown several blocks’ walk from the Sapporo dementia for years, and when my to see her brother Kazuya’s remains in the train station. brothers and I saw increasing signs Buddhist temple, but also said it would be the After two days max in Sapporo, where Mthat she would no longer be able to live by last time she’d see Nemuro or the rest of Japan. we’d have a couple of meals with her herself, we moved her into a Memory Care She didn’t quite get the concept. brother, Fumiya, and his wife, Mitsuko, Center nearby. “Huh?” she said. “I always tell everybody we’d trudge back to the train station and Two years ago, my wife, Erin, and I took the ‘bye bye’ when we come home, but we go back take a daylong ride to eastern Hokkaido, last of several trips to Japan with my mom. She again next year, neh?” transferring once to a much smaller (one car) Mom with my Aunt Eiko and some of has a brother in Sapporo, and another brother “Uh, no,” we told her. train on a narrow, toylike track for the last the messages friends wrote to my mom. lived in Nemuro, her hometown in eastern Although physically she’s surprisingly healthy several hours until we arrived in Nemuro. We Hokkaido, until he passed away in January (she’s only 84 now), my mom’s mental capa- usually stayed in the same hotel there, too. 2016. His widow, my aunt, still lives in the city was diminished to the point where she After a couple of days in Nemuro, visiting as far as my mom was concerned. We added small fishing town. And in Tokyo, my mom couldn’t remember where we’d been or who with her brother, Kazuya, and his wife, Eiko, on extra legs like a trip south to Hiroshima has a distant cousin of my dad, who has been we’d visited the night before.